Process and material for treating gasoline and hydrocarbons



Patented Dec. 20,1927.

ALBERT H. ACKERMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ASSINOR T0 CATALYTIC CHEMICALCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF COLORADO.

PROCESS AND MATERIAL FOR TREATING GASOLINE AND HYDROCARBONS.

Ho Drawing.

My invention has among its objects the production of an improved processfor 1ncreasing the clliclcncy of hydrocarbons such as gasoline or thelike employed for various purposes, and luore particularly has as one ofits objects an improved process and composition of materials which willact on hydrocarbonrlusters existing in gasoline and similarhydrocarbons, breaking such clusters up into minute particles, therebymaking the gasoline or other fluid or liquid carrying similar quantitiesofclusters of hydrocarbons burn or ignite with a sharper and quickercombustion without leaving an undue carbon residue. Many other objectsand advantages of my present invention will be obvious to those skilledin the art, after having reference to the following description.

Gasoline consists mainly of hydrocarbons, and as a standard productwhich is used to a great extent as fuel with high combustion energy ithas a large variation in specific gravity due to the several presentprocesses employed in reclaiming gasoline from petroleum. As petroleumsvary in specific gravity and ditt'crcnt percentages of different kindsof hydrocarbons, it is difficult to extricate or refine them to procurea uniform gasoline. We may get gasoline from petroleums which have thesame specific gravity and yet such gasolines are not uniform as acombustible fuel. For example, in a pctroleum which carries a largepercentage of sulphur and asphalt, or a combination of asphalt, tar andparatline mixed, the gasolines therefrom always contain sulphur, andwhile the specific gravities of such gasolines may be the same, theircombustion may vary and their power etfects be different.

I have found from tests and microscopic examinations that the variousgasolines contain more or less of what maybe termed small clusters ofcarbon and/or hydrocarbons, t-bese'clusters Jaryin'g in size and naturewith the ditlerent impurities in the gasoline such as sulphur etc, andthat if these clusters are permanmtly broken up, the quality of thegasoline and its efficiency is im roved, and that combustion takes placecaving, if any, a very slight amount Application filed December 14.1925. Serial No. 75.811.

qualities thereof or to improve its combustion, but in so far as I amaware, it has never been proposed to treat a hydrocarbon fuel in such amanner as to break up thoroughly and permanently the carbon and/orhydrocarbon clusters and with materials which not only act as aforesaidon the clustcrs'but also have reactions with themselves so as to preventthe re-a ents from forming objectionable products. For example,naphthalene when used in gasoline or like fuel has a tendency to form abody of its own called naphthalene wax, which is undesirable. but whencombined with other materials as herein specified which re-act uponthemselves and to some extent give an action resembling a catalyticaction, the naphthalene will ((Hlct and improve the gasoline without theformation of other products which are undesirable. I am aware thatsulphuric acid has been used in compounds employed for increasing theefficiency of hydrocarbons, but treatment with sulphuric acid has atendency to cause a combining or clothing of the carbon, therebyprou'ioting the formation of clusters rather than breaking them up, as Ipropose to do.

In making up my improved material by which my present process is carriedout, I prefer to employ a combination of naphthalene. anthracene. oil ofmirbane and alcohol, which are suitably co-mixed and applied to thegasoline either at the refinery or at any subsequent time, thiscomposition being used in comparatively small quantity.

In making up a batch of my material, one method of procedure may be asfollows: The foregoing chemicals would be combined substantially in theproportion of 100 lbs. naphthalene, 5 lbs. anthracene, 1 lb. of oil ofmirbane, and 1% lbs. of alcohol. In mixing. I prefer to mix up first theanthracene, alcohol and oil of mirbane, thereby form ing a paste, andthen let this paste dry out so that it becomes a. fine powder. Thealcohol evaporates, leaving-the anthracene thoroughly mixed with andsaturated with'the oil of mirbane. It is possible to operate without theuse of this alcohol, if care be taken to thoroughly grind the anthraceneand oil of mirbane together to form a homogeneous mixture. This is thenmixed with the naphthalene and milled or ground. Thence the v product isscreened and packed in air-tight receptacles ready for use; OrdinarilyI' use 40% C. P. anthracene, but if a lighter product is desired agreater C. P., up to 85 or 90% C. P. anthracene may be employed.

When this product is applied to gasoline, generally in the proportion ofsubstantially oz. of material to 5 gal. of gasoline, the naphthaleneconstituent serves as a cutter or shocker, tending to break up theclusters. The naphthalene itself has a tendency to work very fast, andthe anthracene acts somewhat as a retarder on the action instituted bythe naphthalene, slowing up its action but making the breaking up 0 theclusters permanent. The anthracene dissolves a little slower than thenaphthalene,

. and a slight amount of agitation is desirable so that there may be athorough treatment and the anthracene be effective throughout themixture. The oil of mirbane decreases the fusing point of both thenaphthalene and the anthracene, sharpening the action of the compositionand causing the breaking or dropping of any moisture in the clusters sothat the clusters are completely and permanently broken down. When theingredients are combined together and added to gasoline or the like,there is a quicker co-mixing and dissolving and the-oil of mirbane, andan-- thracene work upon the naphthalene, reventing its forming a bodyelement 0 its own, i. e., naphthalene wax. While there are otherequivalents which might be used in place of naphthalene, the naphthaleneis convenient to handle and produce, and a greater quantity of it can becommercially manufactured, and it'is comparatively inexpensive.

Observation of the efiect of the foregoing treatment of gasoline under ahigh power microscope discloses that thecarbon clusters are thoroughlyand completely broken up by the comparatively small amount of mycomposition of materials in a manner entirely diflerent fromthe'treatment of gasoline with naphthalene alone or with anthracene andnaphthalene combined. It is to be noted that in the ingredients of my.composition of materials there is nothing that will have an injuriouseffect on the containers or on burners or engine parts with which thetreated gasoline may come in contact. The broken up carbon clusters orparticles instead of remaining in the burner or cylinder asunburned..carbon,"caus1ng pre-lgnitlon, scoring,

,,charring,"etc;, are entirely "burned up masmuch as these particles arereduced to such small size that they are consumed and the efliciency ofthe gasoline is increased by their' fuels are usually subjected in thecourse of manufacture. These small carbon or hydro-- carbon particlesexhibit a tendency to mass themselves together in the form of clusters.

The additionof the material comprising my invention causes theseclusters to break up so that each individual particle floats about thefluid by itself. These individual particles are just within the rangeofvisibility with the ordinary, oil-immersion lens of a microscope, butthe aggregations or clusters of these particles are plainly visibleunder the microscope. In some instances, the addition of the materialscomprising my invention will cause some of the particles comprising theclusters to pass actually into solution in the hydrocarbon fluid.

This can be demonstrated. For example, small'paraflin particles floatingin gasoline which is saturated with paraffin can be caused to disappearalmost instantly by the addition of some naphthalene, anthracene and oilof mirbane. The addition of these substances appears to increase thesolubility of the parafiin in the gasoline. This will, in part, explainthe action upon which the present invention is based.

Having thus described'my invention, it is obvious that in view of thevaried processes whichthe hydrocarbons. may have gone through, as wellas the variations in the products themselves, that considerable vanationmay be made from the preceding disclosure without departing from thespirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, which shouldbe construed accordingly.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A material for treating commercial gasoline motor fuels consisting ofnaphportion of naphthalene anda minor portion of anthracene and oil ofmirbane, the anof anthracene, and oil of mirbane. thracene in amount atleast four times as 5. A composition for treating commercial great asthat of the oil of mirbane. 10 gasoline motor fuels consisting ofnaptha- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 5 lene, anthracene and oilof mirbane, the signed my name.

naphthalene constituting at least 90% of said composition and thebalance consisting ALBERT H. ACKERMAN.

